


deeper than oceans, as sweet as devotion (you're all i need)

by londoneyedgirl



Category: EXO (Band), SHINee
Genre: Canon, Cheese, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Marriage Proposal, lots of cheese
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 11:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11161245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/londoneyedgirl/pseuds/londoneyedgirl
Summary: “Marry me?” He says, squeezing the hand that's draped over his shoulder, teasing smile on his lips.Jongin chuckles at that. “Are you paying for my slice of chocolate cake?”“Sure.” Taemin shrugs awkwardly due to his position, but he doesn't mind. He looks up at Jongin and wants to kiss the very tip of his nose.“Then I’ll marry you.”"Cheap."| alternatively titled, six times that taemin proposed to jongin and it meant something, and one time it meant everything. |





	deeper than oceans, as sweet as devotion (you're all i need)

**Author's Note:**

> honestly, _again_ , this fic wasn't supposed to have been finished lol at least not before the sekai that i haven't touched in like, a month. i started this to distract myself, and then whoops. then again, taekai is _that_ ship. they invented love and friendship AND the friends to lovers trope. i couldn't fight it when i felt the need to finish this.  
>  anyway i really love them. this fic is full of cheesy stuff - in fact, it seems like that's all i'm capable of doing - and them being cute and taemin being so whipped for jongin lol and jongin feeling the same way for taemin, of course. it's just a bit of them being cuties. i hope you enjoy reading this as much as i did writing it. 
> 
> title's from little mix's "your love". stan talent, stan little mix!!!

Jongin doesn't know why it starts. He remembers when, and he remembers where, but he has no clue of what brings it on. Every time he brings it up with Taemin, though, he only gets a fond glance and a little smile, and he thinks that, maybe, he already knows the answer.

It starts in a day like any other. They’d been practicing until late, and the likeliness that they are the last to leave the practice rooms is huge, but it’s just the way they like it. ‘ _Arrive the earliest, leave the latest’,_ is what they always tell each other.

It sure is late. They’re not sure what exact time it is, but Jongin’s well aware that they’re way past their usual practicing time, and they should be going soon. Taemin, as usual, seems like he’s reading his mind, because, wordlessly, once the song they’ve been practicing the choreography of ends, they just need to glance at each other and nod before they’re wrapping things up.

A couple of minutes later, Jongin’s draining his water bottle beside Taemin, who’s drying the sweat off his face with a small towel he brings with him everyday. Even though they're dead tired, they feel satisfied with what they’ve done, and that’s truly enough for now.

After finishing grabbing his things before Jongin, Taemin leans against the wall near Jongin, waiting for him to finish. Jongin can feel Taemin’s eyes on him, heavy, and usually he’d instantly look at Taemin and start a staring battle that would only end minutes later, once the two ended up laughing at each other’s faces; however, it’s late, and his body aches, so Jongin doesn’t divert his attention. Only when he is, in fact, done, does he look at Taemin, mouth already opening, a playfully teasing line on the tip of his tongue.

He doesn’t really get to say it, though, not when he finds Taemin looking at him in such a way that makes a shiver run down his spine; in a way he’s never done before, not that Jongin knows of; in a way that he can’t quite pinpoint what it means, and what is going through his mind. That’s odd. They’ve always been able to tell things about each other like that.

Jongin’s closing his lips, biting onto his lower one, suddenly, and for reasons unknown, unsure of what to do. “Marry me.” Taemin says, tilting his head to the side, words rolling off his tongue slowly.

Jongin freezes for a second, and then frowns in confusion.

“Aren’t we too young for this?”

Taemin only shrugs, face looking less serious than it had been a few seconds ago, a familiar glint in his eyes. “Not now. One day.”

There are a million things Jongin can say. He can remind Taemin that he’s going to debut soon, and that they’ll be pushed apart; he can talk about how men can’t marry men in their country; they can talk about how they’re not even in a relationship. But he figures that none of these things matter now. Instead, he thinks he’d easily marry Taemin, in a heartbeat, without a second thought.

Realizing that is… Interesting.

“Okay.” He agrees, smiling a bit nonchalantly, and then steps closer to Taemin, throwing an arm on his shoulders. “Okay, I’ll marry you.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” And Taemin may have a playful smile on his lips, but his eyes say that he means it.

-

They’ve just performed Pretty Boy together for the first time. Jongin watches, entranced, how Taemin shines on that stage, how beautiful and comfortable and glorious he looks when he’s where he belongs. Jongin already knows all of that, but also never gets tired of seeing it. He has so few chances to do that, even more so nowadays, with their packed schedules.

Once they leave the stage, Taemin tucks himself under Jongin’s arm and wraps one of his own around Jongin’s waist. There's a pout on his lips. “Marry me?”

This time there's a question mark at the end of the sentence, but somehow, it still sounds a lot like a demand. Jongin chuckles softly at it, and shakes his head at himself. He looks down at Taemin, where he looks even shorter pressed close next to Jongin. There's really only one answer to Taemin’s question. “Yeah, sure.”

The pout gives way to a smile, and Jongin feels so warm inside, as cheesy at it sounds. Taemin presses his face into the crook of Jongin’s neck, and then pats his hip.

-

It’s been quite a while since the last time they hung out together. They call each other as often as they can, both so desperate to just hear each other’s voices, knowing that the feeling's mutual, and they text often as well. But they're never in the same place - Jongin in Korea when Taemin’s in Japan, Jongin in Japan when Taemin’s in Korea, and that has happened a lot -, and if they are, they never seem to have enough time in their schedules.

And then they finally do.

It’s not late, but it’s already dark, and the wind is chilly near the Han River. They haven't seen each other in quite a while, and it would have been better to spend some time together indoors, but they haven't gone out for a while, and when Jongin asks, Taemin can't really say no.

“We should go for cake.” They haven't talked in a few moments, letting time pass by just walking side by side, enjoying each other’s company. They work in a business where noise is a constant. Sometimes they need each other for some down, quiet time, and it feels like as good of a moment as any other to do that.

“I’ve been craving some for the past week.” Taemin comments, head down, seemingly deep in thought, but, in truth, just watching how the movement of his feet makes his sneakers change color in the current lighting. “Chocolate?”

“Yeah.” Jongin says, and Taemin doesn't have to raise his head to know that Jongin’s smiling, but he does so anyway, because Jongin’s smiles are a beautiful thing, and he loves seeing them.

Jongin throws an arm over Taemin’s shoulders, and they walk closer together than before. Jongin is humming some tune under his breath, and it’s soothing. Taemin finds himself lost in it.

“Marry me?” He says, squeezing the hand that's draped over his shoulder, teasing smile on his lips.

Jongin chuckles at that. “Are you paying for my slice of chocolate cake?”

“Sure.” Taemin shrugs awkwardly due to his position, but he doesn't mind. He looks up at Jongin and wants to kiss the very tip of his nose.

“Then I’ll marry you.”

“Cheap.” Taemin chirps back, watching the way the crinkles by Jongin's eyes appear when he smiles wider. “Aren't you supposed to want my whole love and affections, for the rest of our lives, and not just your cake paid for?”

Jongin throws him a knowing look, raising an eyebrow as he intertwines their fingers together, in a habit he seems to have picked up lately. “Don’t I already have that, though?”

A shiver runs down Taemin’s spine and a nervous smile grows on his lips. But when he looks at Jongin - at Jongin’s soft, kind eyes; at Jongin’s small, understanding smile; at the way Jongin tilts his head in the slightest just to be able to look better at Taemin - he finds that there isn't a reason for him to be nervous at all.

-

Being with Jongin has always been warm. Comfortable. Pretty much one of Taemin’s favorite places to be, regardless of where It is. They've always been in each other's space, and sharing beds has never been awkward. It has always just felt like home.

“I love the way you just lay on my bed with the same naturality as you do with your own.” Jongin says with a twinkle in his eyes, watching as Taemin stops burying his face into the sheets - subtly, but not so much, enjoying Jongin’s scent that lingers there - and turns on his side, propping his head up on one hand to look at Jongin.

“You say it as though you don't do the same back at my room.”

Jongin simply shrugs at that, winks and throws himself onto the bed, curling into his side and facing Taemin. Taemin mimics him, turning to look at Jongin, and when their eyes meet, they giggle a little - at what, neither can tell.

They fall into the nice sort of silence that they always enjoy with each other. The only sound that can be heard in the room is of their soft breathing, and, at some point, Jongin’s eyelids fall closed. The only indicative of Jongin still being mildly awake is his drumming fingers, slow but steady, tapping the mattress rhythmically.

Taemin allows himself to watch Jongin. He knows every single curve of Jongin’s face, every softness, every smile crinkle, every tick, every individuality. Taemin knows that if he caressed Jongin’s jaw right now, he’d feel the slightest hint of stubble, meaning he most likely last shaved on the night before. Taemin knows that if he brushes his thumb over Jongin’s earlobe and let it slide down to his neck, Jongin’s lips would tremble in the slightest, and a shiver would run down his spine.

Taemin has to wonder, however, how Jongin would react if Taemin pressed his lips against his.

Half-heartedly, Taemin shakes his head. Surely his mind would take advantage of his vulnerability, now that he’s both sleepy and with Jongin, to make him think about things he tries not to think about most of the time; things that he avoids thinking about because no good could come out of wishful thinking.

But Jongin’s drumming fingers move and move, still in rhythm, up and up, until it finds one of Taemin’s hands, resting over the pillow he’s using. And then he places his hand on top of Taemin’s, and laces their fingers together, and it makes Taemin’s heart beat faster. They've held hands so many times already, most of them in public, but this feels different. This feels intimate, like it means something else, like it means everything.

Taemin doesn't allow himself to think when he snuggles closer to Jongin; nor does he let himself think about backing down when he’s on the way to kissing Jongin.

It’s quite possibly the chastest kiss of his life. It can barely be called a kiss, as it's only just a small brush of their lips, but it’s long enough that he can feel Jongin’s smiles curling up into a smile. And it’s so worth it to see it when he pulls away.

Jongin keeps his eyes closed for a couple of the following seconds, until he gets even closer to Taemin, opening his eyes. By the second, Jongin’s smile only seems to get wider, and Taemin feels like both crying and laughing, feels a bit hysterical, because this is okay. They're okay.

The hand that's intertwined with Taemin’s moves, untangling itself from Taemin’s fingers, but Jongin doesn't give enough time for Taemin to worry about it before he's resting it on Taemin’s hip. It slides down until it stops on the small of Taemin’s back, and a sigh escapes Taemin’s lips before he can stop it.

In the blink of an eye, Jongin pulls Taemin so that Jongin’s lying on his back and Taemin’s on top of him, head on his chest. When Taemin looks up, he meets Jongin’s sleepy grin and gentle eyes. “You're too fast for someone who’s so sleepy.”

“Dancer’s reflexes.” Jongin throws him a wink, and Taemin rolls his eyes fondly. “You know it.”

They just look at each other for a few seconds. Time passes and it could be years, could be months, or time could have simply just frozen; it wouldn’t make any difference. They wouldn't have noticed it.

Taemin can feel the warmth coming from Jongin’s hands, half of it through Taemin’s cotton t-shirt, half touching the bit of skin of Taemin’s lower back where his shirt had been pushed up slightly. 

And he’s never felt more at home.

“Marry me?” His voice is small when he says it, barely a whisper, nearly just words breathed out. But Jongin hears it, and his smile widens, if that’s even possible.

Jongin wraps his arms around Taemin’s lithe frame, and tightens his hold, as though trying to keep Taemin there, as though he’d ever need to do that for Taemin to stay. If it were up to Taemin, he’d never, ever leave.

“Yes.”

-

Jongin plans ahead, considering his own schedule, just so he can call Taemin not too early that he’ll interrupt practice, but not too late that he’ll end up waking up Taemin. Taemin picks up bare-faced, hair wet and looking straight out of shower, so Jongin can consider that a win.

“Hey.” Jongin says, laying back onto his own bed. He's pretty sleepy, but he's missed Taemin all day and they haven't managed to talk to each other in a while, so it's been a long time coming. “Busy?”

“Nah.” Taemin shrugs, a lazy, happy smile gracing his lips. “Was just heading to bed, myself.” He teases, raising his eyebrows playfully at Jongin, and then they chuckle. The day had been simply okay until now, but Jongin always makes Taemin’s day better. No one else can compare.

They lay in bed and talk. They talk until they're sleepy, they talk until they're too tired to do anything except look at each other’s face on the screen and grin a bit dopily. “We should go to sleep.”

“We should.” Taemin concedes, not really managing to stifle a yawn. He bites onto his lower lip once it's over, and squints at Jongin with sleepy eyes. “I really miss you.”

Jongin’s answer is quiet. “I miss you, too.”

“Will you marry me?” Taemin asks, voice slurring a bit at the end, but still looking awake and functioning.

Jongin rolls his eyes and turns to lay on his side, placing his phone in front of his face and resting his arm on the pillow. “You keep asking me that as though my answer is gonna change. It won’t. It’s always gonna be yes.”

There's a smug sort of happy grin that works its way onto Taemin’s lips that soon turns fond. “I like hearing you say it.”

-

It’s risky, what they’re doing - hiding in plain sight. When Taemin casually mentions Jongin in the middle of an interview, a lopsided smile playing on his lips, he knows it's a move that can be both smart and dumb. People could think, and they could talk, and they could connect the dots. Since Dispatch caught them on their date by the Han River, they had to make a choice. Taemin's manager asked him if they were dating.

He could never deny it.

It _is_ smart. Because if they are open about small things, if they point out how they look like a couple, people won't believe that they actually are. It's genius, even.

It doesn't make him less nervous.

They have a special show together. They don't tone it down. Instead, Jongin uses his thumb to clean up something near Taemin’s mouth that’s definitely not there, and feels Taemin tremble under him when he slides his hand down his sides, settling on the hip before slipping away.

It’s truly crazy. Jongin’s looking at him with his feelings pouring out of his eyes and wrapped around every word that leaves his mouth, and Taemin’s doing the same, but he doesn’t mind it. He should, perhaps, but he doesn’t. Instead, he intertwines his fingers with Jongin’s for a few seconds, and then lets it go.

Later, when they're in the car on their way back, and the cameras are off, Jongin reaches for Taemin’s hand like he had earlier. He brushes the side of his hand softly with his thumb, and then intertwines their fingers.

The words slip out of his mouth before he knows it, low and quiet and intimate. “Please, marry me.” He can see Jongin's lips trembling, and his own heart beating way too fast inside his ribcage.

The way Jongin tightens his grip on Taemin’s hand feels like a frustrated wish for a hug, or something more. “Whenever you want to. I’m yours.”

Taemin nods, more to himself than to anybody else. Every single time he's asked Jongin, he's meant it; even when they were just kids, he already wanted to be the one to be with Jongin forever, the one to make Jongin happy for the rest of their days. But, this time, there's an urge inside him, unyielding and strong, like this is it. Like maybe they should get married, soon, even if no one knows about it. Something inside Taemin’s chest wants it, aches for it, and Taemin wonders if Jongin would understand; if Jongin feels the same.

“Okay.”

-

Jongin is only slightly awake after showering. It's early and he's on a break, so the only reason he isn't annoyed at being up at nine in the morning is the fact that he'd been sleeping for fourteen hours already when he woke up. The pink toothbrush Taemin recently got for him’s just been used and put back with Taemin's. He dries his hair with the towel that's thrown over his shoulder, still feeling a few droplets sliding down his nape, and leaves the bathroom.

And right outside the door, looking half-asleep, nervous and hopeful, down on one knee, right in front of Jongin, is Taemin, holding a small box in his hand.

“Don't.” Jongin says, wide-eyed in a mix of shock and amusement. He's fighting a losing battle with his lips, biting on the inside of his cheeks to keep himself from laughing, but he knows he's just a few seconds from doing so.

The frown on Taemin’s face is the cutest, and he looks so young, especially with the furrowing of his brows and the pouting of his lips. The hand that isn't holding the box flexes over his knee. “What? Why?”

“You just-” Jongin’s words are cut off by his own laughing, face scrunching up and his hand instantly covering his mouth. Taemin’s pout only gets bigger, watching as Jongin’s laughter quiets down. “I wouldn't take you for a guy who proposes like this. What, no flowers, no nothing?”

Taemin’s eyes widen, and he diverts them, biting onto his lower lip. “They're in the kitchen, I- I thought they’d be too much.”

“You thought well.”

Taemin seems offended, a bit of an outraged look on his face. “Of course I did, I know you.”

Jongin smiles fondly, and silence settles between them. He takes the time, then, to observe Taemin. He's uncharacteristically insecure now, avoiding Jongin’s eyes and Jongin swears he can see his frame tremble a bit. It's odd, but still endearing that he's so nervous over something he's done so frequently for over the past five years, at least.

He tells Taemin as much, who presses his lips into a thin line before looking down, hiding his eyes with his soft, sleep-mussed hair. “It's different, now.”

“How so?” Jongin asks, making his voice as soft as it could possibly be. He reaches out for Taemin’s hand, the empty one, and cradles it with his own.

“Because-” Taemin stops himself, tilting his head like he thought better and is rephrasing whatever he was going to say. “It just is. Because I feel like we really, really should, right now. Like, if you told me to run to another country and elope, then I would say yes and go pack a bag. I know it's just a title, it's just words, it's not like-”

This time, the silence that follows his self-interruption is longer, so Jongin squeezes Taemin's hand, feeling how warm it is in his hands, how familiar. “It's not like?”

“It's not like I’m not yours already.” Taemin mutters. “I have been since always, I guess.”

Jongin knows that. He knows all that Taemin has just said, has probably known it since they first danced together, or since they first kissed, or since the first proposal. It doesn't matter if he knew or not, though, because hearing it from Taemin has a completely different effect and Jongin chokes on it, on the breath he was holding, on how loved he is and how much he loves Taemin.

“Well, then.” Jongin sounds out of breath when he says it, and now, Taemin's not the only one trembling nervously, even if they don't really have a reason to be. “Get on with it.”

Jongin cracks a smile and nothing will ever compare to how it felt to see Taemin raise his head and look at Jongin right in the eyes, overflowing with love, so much of it that Jongin almost can't believe it's possible.

Taemin takes a deep breath. “Jongin, will you marry me?” and the way he looks at Jongin, _god_. Jongin wants this forever.

_“Yes.”_

**Author's Note:**

> i can be found on twitter as @winterjonginnie c:


End file.
